YOURSAY | ‘Death penalty not a deterrent but pure revenge’

YOURSAY | 'Meting out justice is by taking another life? Our society could do better.'

MCA should be ashamed, not proud of championing executions – LFL

MCA credits Wee after govt stops short of full death penalty abolition

Commute sentences of all inmates on death row - M'sian Bar

E Kumar: Studies have shown that inmates consider the death penalty an easier sentence than a lifetime of imprisonment. Most welcome it considering the alternative. This is why suicide rates are far higher in prisons than in death sentences.

Let’s take murder. If you’re going to kill someone legally because they’ve killed someone illegally, how is that justice? You’re just committing the exact same crime, with the intention at that.

A lifetime of imprisonment, for serious crimes, takes away from the criminal everything that they value and hold dear - their loved ones, their children, their family and friends, their reputation, their standing in society, their worth as a human being, and most of all, their freedom, for as long as they live and they will live a lifetime of intense regret. What bigger punishment can there be?

When you hang someone to death, that is it. That is as far as they pay for their crimes, they suffer no more instantly.

MCA president Wee Ka Siong is an opportunist, he is simply passing the buck and burden to the judiciary instead of doing the right thing.

IndigoTrout2522: Transport Minister Wee and MCA seem to be so happy to have the death penalty. It shows what kind of people they are. No compassion, no mercy and just thinking of revenge instead of rehabilitation and education. Is that all you can think of?

Meting out justice is by taking another life? Our society could do better without these politicians.

Abolish the death penalty as soon as possible without unnecessary delays. Commute all those who have been sentenced to death to life imprisonment.

Taking a life even for one who had committed a serious crime is unjust and inhumane and it has no benefit to society nor the criminals as the goal should be rehabilitation.

Anonymous_47029368: Doing away with the mandatory death penalty may be okay as it gives the presiding judge leeway in borderline cases or where there are mitigating factors that should be taken into consideration.

However, the other extreme of total abolition of the death penalty is wrong.

As again, it takes away from the judge the ultimate form of punishment to be reserved for those who committed heinous crimes against humanity or treason to our country.

NCW: Death penalty like corporal punishment, flogging, etc, is not a deterrent against any crime. The death penalty is pure revenge.

Annoying Citizen: Why are these so-called learned people so adamant about repealing the death penalty? Is it now acceptable to kill, distribute drugs, or kidnap?

Already, stealing can be punished with compounds, and now these serious crimes can escape death. Have these people thought about the victims? Perhaps they need to taste the pain suffered by victims and their families to understand the issue. Will Altantuya Shaaribuu forgive her killer?

Elaine Morais: This article lacks a proper perspective on the issue of the death penalty. The analysis offered is simplistic, to say the least.

It does not reflect an in-depth understanding of the human, moral and legal issues involved in the application of the death penalty. There is a finality about the decision which should make everyone tread warily.

A life once taken cannot be restored. If new evidence emerges that casts doubt on or refutes the basis of the previous judgment, there is nothing that can be done to make amends to the people to whom the death penalty was applied and their families.

The perpetrators of crimes also have families and they, too, may be viewed as victims and deserving of sympathy.

In any criminal justice system, the focus should be on meaningful deterrents to crime and the reform and rehabilitation of criminals to enable them to return to society without jeopardising the safety of everyone.

The overall trend worldwide is a movement towards the abolition of the death penalty. According to this report, the vast majority of the perpetrators of crimes that carry the death penalty come from the B40 (bottom 40 percent). That is a very revealing statistic that gives us some idea of the desperate socioeconomic conditions that seem to give rise to such crimes.

There is an excellent book on the death penalty by Helen Prejean entitled ‘Dead Man Walking’. It was made into a very moving film with the same title with strong performances from Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn.

Those who want to gain a deeper understanding on the issues involved in the death penalty might find it rewarding to read the book and watch the film.

Maya: Ayer Hitam MP Wee, there is such a thing as "life sentence without parole". This means the convict stays in prison till death, unless they are pardoned. That is what everyone is talking about. Stop trying to hang anyone.

Well Thats Fantastic: Most countries will not deport a criminal to a death sentence. If you want criminals hiding overseas to be returned to face the courts, we must abolish the death sentence.

Determined Sarawakian: Lawyers For Liberty (LFL) director Zaid Malek, don't bother about the politicians, they have an axe to grind.

Work towards ensuring the 'mandatory' is abolished. Next, make sure penal systems are rehabilitative and not punitive for correcting bad behaviour. If these two work hand-in-hand, then public opinion will shift.

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